The terminal has gotten a new look. The building exterior was painted last fall, front columns have been installed, plus the interior ceiling tile and lighting upgrades have been completed. New ceramic and carpet tiles should finished being installed Friday.

“I’ve been flying out of here a long time. These improvements are so much substantial to the aesthetics of the airport, it looks like a new place,” Mahoning County Commissioner Anthony Traficanti said.

The carpet will also be replaced in the main passenger hold room and in TSA screening.

In February, planes leaving Youngstown were 94.48% loaded. On Tuesday, the official announcement will be made about service between Youngstown and Chicago O’Hare International Airport.

“This was great out here. It was good to come out to the airport and see three-fourths of the parking lot filled and all these new improvements out here,” Trumbull County Commissioner Dan Polivka said.

In the lean times, many people were willing to drive to Cleveland or Pittsburgh to catch a flight. It’s hard to believe, but it seems the airport has bounced back from when Atlantic City flights were the only thing that kept it alive.

Airport Aviation Director Dan Dickten said that they are even considering adding another destination to the east of Youngstown, but did not specify where that might be.

“We also want to see the service expanded. Las Vegas, Chicago, maybe more Florida, maybe some international flights, who knows?” Traficanti said. “The sky is the limit.”